1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to hybrid cases for the protection of musical instruments. More particularly, the invention relates improvements in hybrid cases that employ an automatic neck-brace to support the neck of one or more musical instruments. Accordingly, the general objects of the invention are to provide novel methods and apparatus of such character.
2. Description of the Related Art
The worldwide popularity of instruments such as guitars, keytars, basses, cellos, violins, mandolins, ukuleles, etc. in the last several decades has led to many advances in these instruments as well as related accessories. One such accessory that has seen a wide variety of improvements is the protective case. Such cases are now available in a number of basic styles with a wide variety of materials and features that offer some combination of improved ergonomics, lower cost, lighter weight, and/or better protection. For example, instrument cases are now available in three basic styles (the soft case—or gig-bag—, the hard-shell case and the hybrid case). Cases for protecting individual instruments are now widely available in all of these three styles.
Conventional hybrid cases of the type noted-above typically include a semi-rigid body with a back, a sidewall and a hinged cover to receive the instrument within the body. Such covers may be releaseably mated with the body with latches, zippers, hook and loop fasteners, etc. and hinged such that the entire body/sidewall is exposed when the cover is in an opened position.
Such cases may include a semi-rigid neck-brace with at least one retaining band spanning from one side of the neck-brace to the other that may be used to releaseably secure the instrument neck to the neck-brace. The chance of instrument damage may be reduced in the event of a sideways or backward fall, in at least part, because the neck-brace and retaining band suspends the headstock between the bottom, sidewall and cover of the case and thereby prevents it from making contact. Related art (not necessarily prior art) examples of such neck-brace/retaining band designs are shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,872,187 issued Jan. 18, 2011 and entitled Hybrid Cases For The Protection Of Up To Two Stringed Musical Instruments; and U.S. Pat. No. 7,687,701 and issued on Mar. 30, 2010 and entitled Cases For The Protection Of Stringed Musical Instruments, both of which patents are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety. However beneficial and commercially successful such neck-brace/retaining band designs, some limitations are inherent in such designs.
It is therefore, a primary object of the present invention to provide improvements in carrying cases for stringed musical instruments which overcome the disadvantages associated with earlier types of hybrid cases.